Sports training apparatus

ABSTRACT

This invention is a sports training target apparatus for training an individual in the throwing of a ball or other projectile. The apparatus is comprised of a wheeled frame, a support frame portion hingably attached to the wheeled frame, and a target frame portion hingably attached to the support frame. A preferred embodiment of the invention is further characterized by a hoop or net which provides a specific target for the user to assist in a convenient and effective target for practicing throwing a ball. The invention has particular utility in the training of football or soccer players. The device further includes the capability of adjusting the horizontal base portion and vertical upright portion such that the structure may be folded down onto itself for ease in portability, or for storage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an apparatus for assisting in thetraining of an individual to play a sport. Specifically, this inventionis directed to assisting an individual to perfect the art of throwing aball such as a football, or otherwise projecting a ball or sportsarticle, such as kicking a soccer ball.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

We all know that in order to gain proficiency in sports, an athlete mustpractice his or her critical skills over and over again. Essentially,the old adage of “practice makes perfect” is very applicable to sportstraining. For many sports played on both the professional level andamateur and high school level, the critical performance characteristicrequired is the ability to throw or otherwise propel a ball with greataccuracy. In training for football specifically, passing skills arecrucial. A football quarterback will generally need to practice throwingskills over and over again for months or even years in order to reallymaster the art. In addition, soccer is another sport in which a ballmust be propelled with great accuracy, this time kicking the ball, ofcourse. Once again, it will be necessary for a player to practice thiseffort over and over again in order to improve performance.

Sports training often begins in high school, especially for the malepopulation, and it is important that a young player be encouraged tomaster throwing skills. One conventional means that has often been usedis for a player to practice throwing accuracy by attempting to pass afootball through an automobile tire hanging from a tree by a rope. Ofcourse, after one pass is made, the player must run to where the balllanded to retrieve the football before it can be tried again. Otherwise,practicing throwing skills for a football generally entails two playerspassing the ball to each other. Of course, when a player desires topractice alone or does not have a colleague ready to catch the ball,throwing skills are often neglected.

As a result of the increased emphasis being placed on throwing skillsfor training young athletes, many devices have been constructed toassist in propelling or catching the ball. Many of these devices areinadequate in construction, durability, portability, or ease of use, aswill be described in the next section. Accordingly, the driving forcebehind the invention of the present device is the need to create aportable and flexible sports training apparatus which is easy to use andassemble, and is yet durable enough to withstand the rigors imposed byuse in a school setting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Over the years, many different prior art devices have been directed to asystem or apparatus for training an athlete. In the sports of football,baseball, and soccer, an assortment of devices have been directed tocatching or retrieving a ball after it is thrown or kicked. Among thesedevices, many have been constructed of components that are portable inthe sense that they are easy to assemble and disassemble. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,153 by Masin shows a portable plastic frame with anet material arranged to catch a ball. The device further includes asmall net to assist in training and aiming in the driving of a hockeypuck in particular. Other portable sports training devices are foundwith U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,064 by Childers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,949 byThomas and U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,512 B1 by Beckwith, Sr. Each of thesedevices includes a portable lightweight frame assembly which may bedisassembled. Generally speaking, the inventions are directed to a frameconstructed of multiple hollow plastic tubes which aid in portability.

Looking specifically at football applications, a number of patents overthe years have been directed to quarterback training or passingproficiency. Some examples of patents that seek to improve throwingaccuracy are U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,199 by Vand, U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,466 B2by Searles et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,578 by Hudson, Sr. and others.U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,166 by Baker et al. is more narrowly tailored toimproving the training of quarterbacks, and similar such devices arefound in U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,115 by McLain et al and U.S. Pat. No.5,037,095 by Nedwick.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,423 by Wright discloses a screen apparatus with atarget supported by a self supporting frame in conjunction with atrough, arranged such that baseballs which are thrown against the screenwill fall down into the trough. U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,524 by Kiffersteinet al, discloses a tennis practice system which is designed to beattached to a garage door and serves to rebound tennis balls that areknocked into the tent.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,939 by Bottorff claims a football training apparatuscomprised of a net for catching the ball, anchored on a rail such thatthe net may travel along the rail. This enables one to practice timing,football passing, and throwing since the user is required to throw theball into a moving target. Accordingly, the device simulates moreclosely the passing conditions encountered during a football game.Another football training device which requires the user to focus onaccuracy is U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,738 B1 by Taa. The Taa device consistsof a tubular upright structure with a pair of cavities disposed in thestructure which are appropriately sized for a football. Accordingly, theuser is challenged to precisely aim the football such that it will passthrough the cavity in the upright stand.

A number of patents in the art are directed to net assemblies forcatching a ball as it is thrown or propelled. These patents include U.S.Pat. No. 5,722,905 by Bidelton. Although these are assemblies are usefulfor many situations, they are generally not as portable as desired inmost sports training scenarios. Accordingly, the need exists for asports training apparatus which can be easily transported from onelocation to another and which is durable enough to be used in a schoolor college setting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the forgoing disadvantages inherent in the pre-existingmethods and devices for assisting to train an athlete in propelling aball or other objects, the present invention provides a significantimprovement. Accordingly, the general purpose of the present invention,which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide anew and improved apparatus for assisting in the development and trainingof an individual seeking to improve ones throwing capabilities for avariety of sports activities.

In order to achieve this general objective, the present inventionconsists essentially of a sports training target apparatus comprising awheeled frame, a support frame portion hingably attached to the wheeledframe, and a target frame portion hingably attached to the supportframe. The sports training apparatus is intended to provide a convenientand effective target for practicing throwing a ball or other suchobject. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the target frameportion of the invention is further characterized by a hoop or net,which provides a specific target for the user. The target hoop on thetarget frame portion of the apparatus may be partially or fully borderedby a panel, which once again provides a convenient target for the user.

In another aspect of the present invention, the sports training targetapparatus may include the capability of adjusting the angle between thetarget frame portion and support frame portion in a range from 0 to 360degrees. The ability to change the angular relationship between thesupport frame and target portion serves the advantage of allowing thedevice to be fully folded down for easy storage and portability. It alsoenables user to simulate a number of alternative target practiceoptions. For example, if the target frame is moved to a 30 degree anglewith respect to the horizontal wheeled frame, more skill will berequired for the user to throw a ball to the correct location, ofcourse.

The preferred embodiment of the sports training apparatus may include awide assortment of means for adjusting the height of the target frameportion, and for locking in a particular height setting. The adjustmentmeans may include a screw shaft and crank assembly, for example.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the target frameportion may include a simple net arrangement without the use of abordering support frame. This will serve to make the device morelightweight and flexible in moving from site to site.

The present invention serves an assortment of functional improvements,including improved flexibility of the device as it is easily moved fromlocation to location. This may enable the device to experience wideutility in a school setting, for example, where the apparatus could bemoved many times on a daily basis.

As discussed above, the method and device of the present inventionovercomes the disadvantages inherent in prior art methods and devices.In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theconception upon which this invention is based may readily be utilized asa basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems forcarrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It isimportant, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including suchequivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spiritof the present invention.

Furthermore, the purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especiallyincluding the practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patentor legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursoryinspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of theapplication. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention ofthe application, nor is it intended to be limiting to the scope of theinvention in any way. It is intended that the application is defined bythe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional utility and features of the invention will become more fullyapparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the followingdrawings, which illustrate the primary features of two preferredembodiments.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of a first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention showing the sports training apparatus standing upright.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the target frame portion has been foldeddownward.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the target frame portion and support framehave been fully folded down onto the wheeled support frame for movementof the assembly.

FIG. 6 shows a front view of a second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention in a fully upright position.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention fully assembled standing fully upright a side view ofthe second preferred embodiment of the present invention of the targetsupport frame portion folded down onto the front of the vertical supportmember.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the target frame portion is folded down ontothe front of the vertical support member.

FIG. 9 shows a side view of the second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention wherein the target frame and support structure havebeen fully folded downward onto the wheeled support frame forfacilitation of movement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The detailed description set forth below is intended to describe thepreferred embodiments of the invention and explain the utility of thecurrent invention. It should be noted and understood that a variety ofother arrangements are also possible for a sports training apparatusconstructed according to the present invention, which is defined by theclaims of the patent and not limited in scope to the preferredembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. The frame for the sports training apparatus isconstructed essentially of steel for durability purposes, although othermaterials may be used as well. The apparatus begins with a horizontallydisposed frame portion 10 as shown in FIG. 1. Horizontal frame 10 isgenerally rectangular in shape and constructed of four angle ironmembers bolted or otherwise attached to each other. As further shown inFIG. 1, the frame is disposed upon four wheels 12 which are shown togenerally be caster type wheels in this embodiment. Each wheel 12 fullyswivels in any direction to assist in ease of mobility with thestructure, and one or more of wheels 12 may include means to lock thewheel in place such as to prevent it from rolling while in use. Theapparatus further consists of two pairs of vertically disposed supportframe portions identified by numerals 16 and 24 in FIG. 1, and shownmore fully in FIG. 2. Support frames 16 and 24 are generally constructedof steel although other materials may be used. Support frames 16 and 24are designed such that top frame portions 24 may be raised with respectto the lower vertical frames 16, which serves to raise or lower thetarget frame 34. The apparatus further consists of horizontal supportbraces 18, 20 and 22, which serve to provide structural rigidity to theframe.

Upon the vertical frame members, a target frame portion is hingablyattached, and is generally shown as item 34 in FIG. 1. The target frameportion 34 further comprises a steel perimeter frame and a steel mesh 36extending throughout the outer reaches of target frame 34. Target frame34 further includes an open target area defined by an interior perimeterborder 38. A net for catching a football or other object in the trainingapparatus is further shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as 40. The device may beraised or lowered by any number of conventional means including anadjustable lead screw 26 which is disposed within steel tubing 17 andgenerally serves to raise or lower the upper support frame portion 24 asthe adjustable lead screw 26 is rotated by its handle. Upon raisingframe portions 24, they may be locked into place with respect to lowervertical frames 16 by any conventional means such as the use of cotterpins.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the first preferred embodiment of thisinvention. As shown, the sports training apparatus consists of a wheeledhorizontal frame 10 with vertical support frames 16 and 24 along withtarget frame portion 34 mounted at the top. FIG. 3 also shows supportstrut 30 which is used to maintain vertical frame 16 in a fixedrelationship with horizontal frame 10. Support strut 30 is removable forthe purpose of allowing the vertical support frame to hinge downwardonto horizontal frame 10. FIG. 3 also shows hinges 11 which serve as thepivot point when the vertical frame 16 is lowered onto horizontal frame10. Furthermore, FIG. 3 shows receiving retainers 33 which are arrangedto receive and hold the vertical frame members as they are folded downonto the horizontal frame 10.

Net 40 for catching the football or other projectile is more clearlyshown in FIG. 3 along with the hinge 28 used to adjust and fold downtarget frame portion 34. In addition, FIG. 3 also shows an optionalhandle bar 32 which may be attached to the rear of horizontal frame 10for use in pulling the apparatus from place to place.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show how the first preferred embodiment of thisinvention may be easily broken down into compact form for ease in movingthe device from location to location or for storage. As shown in FIG. 4,target frame portion 34 has been hinged backward such as to fold ontovertical support frames 16 and 24. (Net 40 has been removed in FIG. 4and FIG. 5 for ease in illustration). After the target frame portion 34is folded completely down, support strut 30 may be removed fromhorizontal frame 10 and lifted up as shown in FIG. 4. Next, the entirevertical support structure consisting of vertical risers 16 and 24 alongwith target frame portion 34 may be hinged downward onto horizontal baseframe 10 by operation of hinge 11. FIG. 5 shows the complete verticalsupport structure as it is folded onto horizontal frame 10 and readiedfor movement.

FIG. 6 shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, andconstitutes a simplified and lightweight version of the sports trainingapparatus in a situation in which the sports training apparatus needs tobe moved more often, such as in a high school setting where manyindividuals or teams may be desiring to use the apparatus during asingle day. The essential structure of this assembly is the same as withthe first embodiment, and specifically, the device consists ofhorizontal frame 60 which is generally rectangular in shape and made beconstructed of four rectangular tubing members bolted or otherwiseattached to each other. Four wheels 62 are mounted under horizontalframe 60 and are preferably caster-type wheels that fully swivel in anydirection for ease in mobility. The device is further comprised ofvertical support member 66 as further shown in FIG. 6, Unlike the firstembodiment described above, the vertical support member 66 in thisembodiment is not adjustable. Upon the top of vertical support member66, a target frame portion 86 is hingably mounted. Target frame portion86 consists essentially of a rigid frame 84 which supports a preferablynetted interior fabric.

In order to provide a more meaningful target training experience, targetframe portion 86 is further characterized by an internal border 88 whichoutlines a specific target region. Disposed within this target region isopen net 90 which is used to catch the ball or other projectile.

The sports training apparatus of the second embodiment is adjustable bymeans of locking hinge 73. By means of this hinge, target frame portion86 may be folded down such that the entire apparatus become portable forease in movement or storage.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the second preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. As shown in the drawing, the device consists ofhorizontal support frame 60 disposed upon four caster-type wheels 62,and further characterized by vertical support structure 66. Verticalsupport structure 66 is held in a fixed relationship to support frame 60by means of support strut 80 as shown.

FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 show the method by which the vertical support membersof the second preferred embodiment may be folded down onto verticalframe 60 for portability. As shown in FIG. 8, target frame portion 84(with net 90 removed for clarity of illustration) is folded forward byhinge 73 onto vertical support frame 66. Next, the entire verticalsupport apparatus may be folded downward onto horizontal frame 60 asshown. At that point, the entire structure may be easily moved fromlocation to location, using handle 82 as shown. The apparatus is easy toassemble and disassemble, and yet is durable enough to withstand therigors imposed by use in a school setting.

1. A sports training target apparatus, comprising: a) a wheeled frameportion; b) a support frame portion hingably attached to said wheeledframe portion; and c) a target frame portion hingably attached to saidsupport frame portion.
 2. The sports training target apparatus of claim1, wherein; said target frame portion further comprises a target hoop.3. The sports training target apparatus of claim 2, wherein; said targethoop is at least partially bordered by a panel.
 4. The sports trainingtarget apparatus of claim 2, wherein; a net is attached to said targethoop.
 5. The sports training target apparatus of claim 1, wherein meansare provided for fixing said target frame portion and said support frameportion in angular relationship to each other from 0 to 360 degrees. 6.The sports training target apparatus of claim 5, wherein said means forfixing comprises; a) at least one pair of plates, b) one plate of eachsaid pair being rigidly fixed to said target frame portion and the otherplate of each said pair being rigidly fixed to said support frameportion, c) said plates being oriented perpendicular to the axis of saidhinge and parallel to each other, d) said plates having at least oneaperture through each of them, said apertures being of essentially thesame diameter, e) said apertures aligning with each other when saidtarget frame portion and said support frame portion are at a prescribedangle, wherein f) placing a pin through said apertures fixes said frameportions at said prescribed angle.
 7. The sports training targetapparatus of claim 1, wherein; means is provided for adjusting thedistance between where the target frame portion is hingably attached tosaid support frame portion and where said support frame portion ishingably attached to said wheeled frame portion.
 8. The sports trainingtarget apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means comprises; a) asub-frame slidably mounted on said support frame portion, b) said targetframe portion being hingably attached to said sub-frame of said supportframe portion, and; c) means for moving said slidably mounted sub-frame.9. The sports training target apparatus of claim 8 wherein said meansfor moving said slidably mounted sub-frame comprises; a) a screw shaftand crank mounted on said support frame portion; b) a nut fixed on saidslidably mounted sub-frame; c) wherein said screw shaft threads throughsaid nut, and; d) whereby turning said crank and screw shaft moves saidnut and sub-frame along said support frame portion.
 10. The sportstraining target apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for moving saidslidably mounted sub-frame comprises; a) a reel mounted on said supportframe portion, b) a cable attached to and wrapped around said reel, c)wherein the other end of said cable is attached to said slidably mountedsub-frame, and; d) whereby turning the reel increases or decreases theamount of said cable payed out between said support frame portion andsaid sub-frame portion.
 11. The sports training target apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein; means is provided to vary the angle between saidwheeled frame portion and said support frame portion.
 12. The sportstraining target apparatus of claim 11, wherein said means comprises; a)at least one brace between said wheeled frame portion and said supportframe portion, said brace having an aperture through each end; b) atleast two devises fixed to said wheeled frame portion per each saidbrace; c) multiple apertures through said support frame portion; d)wherein said brace runs generally from one of said devises to one ofsaid apertures in said support frame portion and is fixed there withpins therethrough, and; e) whereby gross adjustments are made by movingsaid brace from one of said clevises to another and lesser adjustmentsare made by moving said brace from one of said apertures to another. 13.The sports training target apparatus of claim 1, wherein; a gas chargedspring cylinder is pivotally attached at its first end to said wheeledframe portion and at its second end to said support frame portion andsaid support frame portion is nearly vertical when said gas chargedspring cylinder is extended and horizontal when said gas charged springcylinder is compressed.
 14. The sports training target apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein; an elongated handle is pivotally attached to saidwheeled frame portion.
 15. The sports training target apparatus of claim4, wherein; a) an elongated handle is pivotally attached to said wheeledframe portion, and b) a chord may be run from said handle to said net toextend said net from said target frame portion.